Tripura: 14-month-old child raped and murdered, maternal grandfather held

Agartala, Oct 12 (IANS) In a heinous crime that has sparked widespread grief and outrage, a 14-month-old infant was allegedly raped, murdered, and buried allegedly by one of her maternal grandfather in Tripura, police said on Sunday.

A police official said that the accused, identified as Jaynal Uddin (44), was arrested from Assam's Nilam Bazar in Sribhumi (previously Karimganj) by a Tripura police team on Sunday and has been brought back to Tripura.

The incident took place on Saturday night when the child was visiting her maternal uncle's house along with her mother.

Panisagar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Rahul Balhara, said that around 8 p.m. on Saturday, the infant's family members raised an alarm after the child, who was taken by her maternal grandfather, did not return for several hours, the official said.

A police team immediately launched a search operation with the help of locals in the area.

Around midnight, the SDPO and the Officer-in-Charge of the Panisagar police station reached the spot and after a search, they noticed a patch of newly dug earth close to the house of the victim.

"Our suspicions led us to dig at the spot, which resulted in the grim discovery of the child's lifeless body," SDPO Balhara told the media.

The body was swiftly recovered and sent to the Panisagar Sub-divisional hospital for a post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death and confirm the sexual assault.

The prime accused, Jaynal Uddin, a resident of Uttar Padmabil gram panchayat, who is the maternal uncle of the deceased child's mother had fled the spot after the committing the incident.

A formal police complaint was lodged by the child's grandfather on Sunday morning.

An intensive search was launched in all suspected places and the accused was apprehended on Sunday afternoon from Nilam Bazar in Assam's Sribhumi district, adjoining the north Tripura district.

A special police team subsequently brought the infant back to Tripura.

SDPO Balhera confirmed that a thorough investigation and interrogation of the accused is underway.

He added that while charges of rape and murder have been alleged, final confirmation is pending the official post-mortem report.

The gruesome nature of the crime, committed by a family member, has left the local community in a state of profound shock and mourning, with demands for severe punishment for the accused.

--IANS

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